Norman Wisdom
Norman Wisdom
Sir Norman Joseph Wisdom, OBEwas an English actor, comedian, and singer-songwriter best known for a series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966 featuring his hapless onscreen character Norman Pitkin. Wisdom gained celebrity status in lands as far apart as South America, Iran and many Eastern Bloc countries, particularly in Albania where his films were the only ones by Western actors permitted by dictator Enver Hoxha to be shown. Charlie Chaplin once referred to Wisdom as his "favourite clown"...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionMovie Actor
Date of Birth4 February 1915
Don't get me wrong: I'm overjoyed with my career to date. But perhaps I could have done more. Mostly, I just did whatever the directors told me to do.
When you're as famous as I am, stories take on a life of their own.
Of course I've done musicals here in London.
Most of my comedies were low on budgets - certainly by American standards.
I've been making people laugh for 40 years, so I know how important it is!
I believe in physical comedy, because that reaches out most to people.
Well if I was going to describe my audience, it's going to take longer than you'd ever expect, hundreds of years in fact, because there's many of them, all over the world.
As you get older three things happen. The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two.
I was born in very sorry circumstances. Both of my parents were very sorry
There are people who like just ordinary comedy fun, and making mistakes - which I do easily - and then there are people who like the falling over.
I used to first go on to entertain an audience. But now I go, and this is really true - I go on to have fun with a crowd of my chums.
All my boyhood, all I ever wanted was to be loved.
In fact, one was so booked out we went from March and were to go till November, but the pantomime was booked so they transferred the show to the Prince of Wales Theatre because it was so packed out, and it ran on from there.
I must admit I like to muck around a bit; I always have.